Tamer of Darkness
by Kitty Kat8
Summary: The newest Pokémon Trainer from New Bark Town isn't your average wanna-be master. Rena Elm is trying to make it big in a male-dominant society, which isn't easy, even if you're the neice of one of the greatest Pokémon Researchers of all time!
1. Prologue

Hiya everyone! Kitty Kat here! I wrote this a while ago so be nice. Thanks for reading, please review as well. I don't appreciate flames, please only constructive criticism. 

Tamer of Darkness: A Pokémon Saga!

Prologue – No Turning Back

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By Kitty

The Tamer's Ballad

**__**

The unruly Shadow Creature,

Echo's the call of awakening,

For the gifted one.

She is the Tamer of Darkness,

The one who will master them,

And be their mortal vessel.

Voice of the Night Children,

Rise and fulfill thy Destiny,

At the Shadow Creature's call...

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A Pokémon Trainer looked over the golden horizon,

'Noon.' She thought glancing over her shoulder at the small town she was about to leave as she told the monster at her feet, "Well, this is it Vela… We're finally gonna leave. This time no teachers or parents either… Are you ready?"

"Vee ee! Eevee vee?" Vela the Eevee replied and looked up at her trainer as the charm on her collar glinted in the sun that filtered through the treetops. It was a golden token with a 'V' engraved in it as it hung from a black strap around the Eevee's neck.

"Am _I_ ready? I don't know…" Turning back to the little town she sighed. It seemed so long ago that she had finally gotten her PokéGear but in reality only a few minutes had passed.

****

~*FLASHBACK*~

As Professor Elm handed her the PokéGear he asked, "Rena, will you call me when you get to Cherrygrove City?"

"Yeah, whatever…" Rena yawned and agreed, it was still really early. She wanted to be the first one to leave to avoid any conflicts with the other 3 trainers.

"I really would feel better if you took one of the standard New Bark Town starting Pokémon-" Elm started to say but was cut off.

"Uncle Elm! C'mon! Vela's a great Pokémon! She'll do fine!" Rena argued.

Sighing he rubbed his head, "I don't doubt that she isn't, it's just that Totodile, Cyndaquil and Chikorita were bred to be good beginning Pokémon."

"You're not listening to me! I've never done a thing on my own; can you PLEASE stop worrying for one second? Ya know there's a reason I took all those courses at Pokémon Tech!"

"I'm sorry Rena, I just want you to be safe." Smiling Prof. Elm handed his niece her backpack, "Go on now, make me proud!"

****

~*END FLASHBACK*~

The sun flashed on the pair, revealing all their features. Rena wore black flares and a white zip-up top with the collar around her neck slightly unzipped. A brown belt with six Pokéballs adorned her waist as a necklace gleamed in the sun. It too was a Pokéball, but a different one. The red part was blue and red locks clamped the two sides on the ball together, almost as if it were a high security prison. Her hair was hazel brown and fell just past her shoulder blades as her eyes flashed a clear ocean blue.

Bringing herself away from her home Rena Elm looked at her Pokémon again, "Well even if I'm not ready we'll find out soon enough won't we?" The Eevee nodded as her trainer ran down the path and shouted, "C'mon Vela!"

****

To Be Continued in Chapter 1 of 'Tamer of Darkness'!

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Will Rena and Vela make it to Cherrygrove City before Dark? What lurks in the shadows of Route 29? Will our heroines catch ANY Pokémon?


	2. That Darn Krow!

Here's chapter two! Please review, I need suggestions and tips. ^_^

Tamer of Darkness: A Pokémon Saga!

Chapter 1 – That Darn Krow!

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By Kitty

"Eee! Dumb Ratatta!" Rena cursed as she poked her head out of the grass of Route 29. Vela the Eevee popped her head out from above her trainers and looked around. It had been 2 hours since they departed from New Bark Town on their Pokémon Journey.

"Eevee vee…" She remarked in a mocking tone. "Ee eevee vee vee."

"Ooo… You be quite! It's not my fault all these Pokémon are too stupid to know they're SUPPOSED to be caught…" The novice trainer grumbled at her Pokémon in a grumpy fashion.

Crossing her paws atop the girls head Vela responded, "Ee eevee ee vee ee,"

"What?!" Rena shouted, "I am NOT stupid-"

Rustling from the trees silenced the angered trainer as both human and Pokémon stared at the source of the noise. Vela's eyes widened as a flock of angry Pidgey darted from their tree hideout towards the unlucky pair. With Vela clutching her head in terror Rena turned saying in between breaths, "Nice… going… Vela…! Look… what… you… did!"

"Vee?" The Pokémon demanded

"Yes you!" He partner stated, "It certainly wasn't meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!" Suddenly one Pidgey swooped towards Vela, forcing her to duck or have a slice of her fur shaved off.

"LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!" A green Pokémon shot out at the Pidgey causing them to fall back a bit. It then swerved back to deliver a brutal 'Sandstorm' attack making the winged mob retreat to the safety of their tree.

Uncovering her eyes, Rena looked down to peek at their rescuer. He was a short green Pokémon with a spike coming out of his head. Black spots adorned his back above a spiky tail.

"Hey! Tarrit!" A boy about the same age as Rena immerged from the bushes. He was wearing a green T-shirt and jeans that complimented his blonde hair and hazel eyes. Seeing Rena and Vela he smiled, "Oh, sorry if Tarrit frightened you… Larvitar aren't very common around these parts."

"Oh no, he didn't scare me. He actually saved us from some really mad Pidgey…" Rena bent down to pat the Pokémon's head. "What kind of weird Pidgey attack people anyway?" She asked turning towards the bird's tree. "Aren't they supposed to be peaceful?"

Scratching the back of his head the boy answered, "Yeah… For a week now all the Pokémon here have been actin' funky… They're all edgy and paranoid. Tarrit has started to feel it too. Come to think of it all this creepy behavior started when a black Pokémon came to nest with the other birds."

Pondering for a while Rena quickly remembered she hadn't introduced herself, "Oh my gosh! You must think I'm a ditz! Sorry, I'm Rena Elm. I just started my Pokémon journey today."

"Vee Eevee," Vela hinted.

"Oh yeah!" Rena pointed to the Pokémon on her head; "This is Vela, my Eevee!"

Smiling Vela greeted with a warm, "Eeveeee!"

"I'm Josh and this, as you already know, is Tarrit." He motioned towards the little Larvitar.

"Larrrrrr!" It nodded.

"So, what else do you know about this black bird?" Rena questioned as Vela hopped off to socialize with Tarrit.

Shaking his head Josh replied, "Nah, all I knows' that it's black and I've never seen the likes of it before… Maybe it got lost on its migration…"

The watch on Josh's wrist started to beep as he looked at it and said, "Uh-oh. I gotta go; ma's waitin'… Tarrit, c'mon boy!" He waved for the Pokémon to follow him as he called to Rena, "Bye!"

"Bye…" She smiled as he left.

With a disgusted look on her face Vela squeaked, "Eevee Vee? Ee vve veevee ee ee eevee…"

"What? I was NOT flirting… Lair…" Rena crossed her arms as Vela jumped onto her shoulder. "All right, let's go then."

****

~* 3 HOURS LATER*~

"Woah… Route 29 sure can get creepy after dark…" Shuddering Rena rubbed her arms as Vela huddled closer to her neck.

"Vee…" She agreed. The hairs on the back of her mane pricked up as an eerie 'hoo' came from the trees.

Swerving, Rena turned to face the tree on which the sound originated. "Uh, Velie… Can you, um, go check that out?"

"Ee!" The Pokémon shook her head and shrieked. Reacting to the sound, the things in the bushes flew out at the pair. A flock of Hoothoot dove towards Rena as Vela pushed her to the ground, narrowly escaping the sharp talons.

"Murrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrkrow!" The cry of another Pokémon echoed through the forest as the Hoothoot came around for another flyby. It pulled to the front of the flock, revealing its jet-black feathers and golden beak.

Gritting her teeth, Vela leaped towards the leader, tackling it to the ground. In Confusion, the Hoothoot broke off the attack and scurried back to their homes. Rena pulled herself up to see Vela and the black bird Pokémon rolling over in the dirt, growling in anger.

"Vela! That's the weird black Pokémon Josh told us about! Use your feet to push away!" Rena instructed and the Eevee obeyed, thrusting herself into the air and landing in front of the defender. "Now, Tackle it!"

Turning back to the bird, Vela charged and delivered a crushing tackle that sent it rolling back into the grass. It picked itself up to hobble away as Rena thought, 'This thing will keep freaking out the other Pokémon around here if it gets away! We gotta make sure it can't get away!' Grasping a Pokéball, Rena lifted her hand and released the sphere. It conked the escaping Pokémon on the back of the head and dissolved it in red light.

"Vee… Eevee…" Vela whimpered from behind her trainer, making Rena turn. After collapsing to her knees Rena rushed to her friend, scooping her up. Taking a small red fruit from her pocket, Rena gently fed it to her fallen companion. The Berry recovered a small amount of Vela's health, making her strong enough to stay conscious. Still cradling her Eevee, Rena walked over to the spot were the strange Pokémon stopped. Instead of a black bird, a red and white Pokéball sat in the grass with an indicator saying the ball was occupied. Picking up the new Pokémon, Rena attached the ball to her belt and began to walk to the Cherrygrove Pokémon Center just over the hill.

"Hey, Vela? We caught a Pokémon…" She said quietly.

Opening her big green Eevee eyes Vela replied, "Vee, vee eevee…"(Yeah, we did…)

****

To Be Continued in Chapter 2 of 'Tamer of Darkness'!

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What new Pokémon float in the waters of Cherrygrove? And how will Rena and Vela and their new friend help them?


	3. Cherrygrove Rescue!

The third part, look for the fourth part (3rd chapter) around Friday next week. Please review, constructive criticism only. I'm very fragile… ^_^

Tamer of Darkness: A Pokémon Saga!

Chapter 2 – Cherrygrove Rescue!

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By Kitty

"So, you caught a Murkrow on Route 29? Wow, I didn't think those kind of Pokémon lived around that area…" Nurse Joy commented as Rena waited for her Pokémon to heal in the Cherrygrove Center.

"Well, they don't actually…" Rena replied, "It probably got lost when it was migrating."

A soft ring of the center's healing chamber brought Nurse Joy over. She came back with a plastic yellow tray holding Vela and one Pokéball. "Have you thought of a name for it yet?" The nurse asked

"Hmmm," The trainer pondered, "How about 'Dark-Wing'? I mean he's black and he's of the flying type… I think it fits!"

Laughing softly Nurse Joy suggested, "Why don't you call him out to see if he likes it?"

Rena's face lit up as she pressed the trigger mechanism of her new Pokémon's Pokéball. "Go Dark-Wing!" The black crow monster appeared in a red flash of light on the Center's marble floor.

"Krrrow! Murrr!" It chirped in irritation. Dark-Wing hopped onto the counter and chattered wildly at Vela.

Nurse Joy intervened by placing a shallow pan of yellow birdseed in front of the angry patient. Smiling at Rena she added, "Don't worry. He'll forget about it in a while."

"Thanks Nurse Joy! I guess we'll be off to explore the city after Dark-Wing finishes his meal," Rena leaned on the light blue counter and continued to watch Dark-Wing eat.

****

~* 1 HOUR LATER *~

Refreshed and renewed the trio trotted out of the Pokémon Center in full stride. Dark-Wing gallantly perched atop Rena's right shoulder as Vela was left tag along her trainer's ankles.

"So, what do ya say we check out the marina?" Rena asked her Pokémon

Hopping along the path Vela answered, "Vee!"

"Dark-Wing?" Rena asked turning to the bird on her shoulder.

Dark-Wing absentmindedly preened his feathers in a nonchalant manner. "Kro." He finally chirped and when back to his coat.

Giggling his trainer replied, "I'll take that as a 'yes'. Let's go!"

****

~* CHERRYGROVE MARINA *~

Vela yawned, crossed and un-crossed her eyes then sneezed. Her trainer raised and eyebrow at the Eevee before turning back to the ocean. They had been at the Cherrygrove Marina for about 20 minutes and nothing interesting had happened.

Dark-Wing was bored out his skull; he finally hopped off Rena's shoulder and began to soar over the ground.

Irritated Rena called to him, "Come back soon okay?"

With a chirp of agreement the impatient Murkrow continued gliding along the coast. 

****

****

Lee Taira sat on the edge of the shore watching the tides roll in and out. He gripped his Good Rod waiting for a bite. A light breeze picked up, ruffling his dark brown hair that hung down to his ears in a willowy fashion. His plain white button-up shirt and gray pants were crinkled from sitting too long. His pants had too many pockets; each lined with bright blue. His green-hazel eyes darted from the water when a bird's trill broke through the air. An alarmed black Pokémon flew onto a rock to chatter wildly at him.

"Whoa! Slow down little guy!" Lee said in an attempt to calm the shrieking bird he recognized as a Murkrow. The Murkrow lunged at Lee, trying to peck his head. Catching the crazed Pokémon by the legs Lee held it away from his face as it flapped its wings in frenzy.

"Put him _DOWN_!" A girl screamed from behind him. The Murkrow sunk it's talons into Lee's hands, making him let go, and flew to the girl's shoulder. It squawked loudly and vividly.

"What the-" Lee exclaimed turning around. He stopped in the middle of the sentence and eyed the girl standing on the rock above him, obviously angry. She was a year younger then he and the Murkrow on her shoulder was joined by and Eevee at her feet. She had a belt full of Pokéballs to boot; she almost looked like a trainer.

Bubbling with rage Rena tried to control her voice when she addressed the strange boy, "Why you, you- _Pokémon thief_!" She shouted

Lee was shocked. Pokémon thief? _Pokémon thief?!_ That insane bird had tried to kill him! "What on earth are you talking about?! That, that _thing_ tried to use my face for target practice!" He yelled pointing Dark-Wing.

"A likely story… from a criminal!" Rena snapped and crossed her arms.

Narrowing his eyes to look at her closer Lee replied, "How do I know _you_ didn't steal it?"

Rena gasped in disbelief. "I'm this Pokémon's trainer!"

Lee looked at her one more time then began to laugh. "Hahaha, _you?_ You're a _girl!_" That provoked another round of laughing that got him a nip on the thigh from Vela. "Ow! Little witch…" He muttered and rubbed his leg as the Eevee ran back to the protection of her trainer's legs.

"I'll have you know-" This time it was Rena who stopped. Dark-Wing had begun another round of blood-curling shrieks.

Yelling over the noise Lee told her, "See! He did that to me too!"

Flapping off of Rena's shoulder Dark-Wing flew over Lee's head, making him duck. "Dark-Wing, come back!"

Rena and Vela began to run after their friend and reluctantly Lee followed. Looking behind her Rena asked, "What are _you_ doing?"

"Well," He panted, "That charge of yours is flying towards the dock, something's going on if he's freaking out like that."

"Whatever… I just want my Pokémon back…" Rena muttered and continued to run.

Dark-Wing had ceased his noise making and was winging silently towards the dock. When Rena reached the end of the trees that sheltered one side of dock Lee grabbed her arm keeping her in hiding.

"What are you _doing?_" She asked loudly.

Holding a finger to his lips Lee hissed, "Shhhh!" He pointed to a spot the edge of the dock where men in black suites were drawing a net full of Pokémon from a ship. Rena squinted and finally drew back, eyes wide.

"Those are _Dratini!_ They're supposed to be rare!" Rena whispered in an amazed tone.

Lee nodded, "Yeah, their colony is protected by Cherrygrove law, no one is allowed to catch them…"

"Obviously someone didn't read the sign," Rena indicated the chunk of wood labeled 'No Poaching'.

Rolling his eyes Lee told her, "C'mon, we have to stop them. Those Dratini have no battle skills of their own! They couldn't possibly fight off all those people."

"I think someone tried that already…" Rena motioned her head to a trio of unconscious guards.

He was beginning to get impatient with her, "Let's just _help_ already!" A determined nod came from both girl and Eevee. "Okay, you and your Eevee-"

"_I'm_ Rena and _she's_ Vela. Get it right thief-boy." Rena growled.

Agreeing Vela added, "Vee eevee ee!"

"Lee." He corrected

Putting her hands on her hips Rena compromised, "Fair enough. Now can we finish this?"

"Like I was saying; you and _Vela_ go cut the ropes on the net." He handed her a closed pocketknife. "I'll go distract the poachers."

Before Rena had a chance to reply Lee dashed off, still covered by the trees to a place farther from her hiding spot.

"Hey losers!" Lee shouted coming out of the undergrowth. The thieves seemed shocked by their uninvited guest. There were about 4 of them, three came over to Lee and gripped Pokéballs in their hands. Rena looked around, the fourth one that had been on the ship had disappeared. She shrugged, he probably ran off. Swiftly and silently Rena and Vela padded towards the boat. Hoisting herself up after Vela jumped onto the edge Rena tumbled over into the ship. Lurching to her feat she took out Lee's pocketknife and flicked the sharp end out. After a few minutes Vela found the rope and Rena began to saw through the thick fibers. Weak cries came from the net below, 20 some Dratini looked at Pokémon and trainer with pleading eyes. One of them was particularly fixed on the duo, a rather large female with pale pink eyes.

"Vela! Go get help!" The Eevee ran off as she turned back to the captives, "Don't worry," Rena whispered "We're gonna get you out of here…"

Lee's situation was somewhat different. All three trainers had called out a Pokémon, a Sentret, an Ekans and a Zubat. Rena's Murkrow had joined him and was currently trying to battle off the Zubat's Supersonic attack. Clutching his own Pokéballs Lee call two of his monsters out.

"Nido! Battle! C'mon out boys!" Two Pokémon materialized in front of their opponents; a Nidoran Male and a Mankey braced themselves for a fight. "Nido, use your Double Kick! Battle, use Karate Chop!"

Both of Lee's Pokémon obeyed, Nido hammered at the Sentret with his feet as Battle knocked the wind out of the Ekans with his arms. It looked good, Dark-Wing had taken out the Zubat with vicious Peck attacks, Ekans was gasping for breath and Sentret was conveniently KOed. He glanced over at Rena to see how she had fared, the ropes were almost all cut, and some of the Dratini had struggled out of their prison. The dark figure of another culprit came out of the shadows and reached for Rena. "Uhh, you, girl…" Lee tried to remember her name, "**_RENA!!_**"

Rena swung around just as the man grabbed her shoulder. She threw his hand off but lost her balance slipping off the ship through the hole in the railing designed for the net to come through. Her weight hit the bottom of the rope, snapping the upper cable that held only by a thread. A curve of the net twined around Rena's ankle, pulling her down with the heavy rope. She wasn't a very good swimmer to boot.

Gasping for air in the murky depths, water quickly filled Rena's lungs as she choked to breathe. In a mad panic of pain she tried to cough but only inhaled more of the life-drowning liquid.

The Dratini had escaped, they swam to the bottom of the marina, hiding and scurrying away from the dock. The pink eyed Dratini was half way down to her nest when she looked up to see the drowning girl. 'A life for a life, if I save you we'll be even' she though as her tail wrapped around Rena's waist. Dragging the human was harder then she had though. The net and rope attached to the girl's leg weighted her down tremendously. If she were to save the human girl before it was too late, that rope would have to go.

"Draaaaa! _Tiniiiiii_!" The call of the pink-eyed Dratini echoed through the water. A few of her people left their hideouts and swam up. Two began gnawing on the rope's base as two more wrapped tails around Rena's arms. When the net came loose all three Dratini shot up, reaching the surface in no time. They dragged her over to the sandy shore; a boy, his two Pokémon, a small Eevee and a hand full of police officers holding their captors waited there worried.

Once Rena was securely on land the other two Dratinis darted away, leaving the pink-eyed leader.

"Eevee! Vee eevee ee eee vee eve!" Vela chattered as she ran up to lick Rena's face.

"So, that was Team Rocket then?" Rena asked Lee. She was covered in a think wool blanket and dry clothes as she hung her feet off the edge of the dock.

Nodding he answered, "Yup, them alright."

After listening to his last statement it just occurred to her that he had a slight English accent. She was just about to comment on it when she noticed a small pair of pale-pink eyes looking at her from underwater.

"Why hullo there old girl!" Lee smiled when he saw where Rena was glancing. The head surfaced and drifted over to the edge of the dock.

Rena raised her eyebrows at Lee and asked, "You know her? She was the one that saved me!"

"Sure do, that's the leader of the Long Lake Dratini Colony. She greets all the friendly trainer, since they can't catch her." Lee winked at the Pokémon who only stared back.

"Dra…" She said softly.

The expression on Lee's face turned from playful to serious, he told Rena, "She wants to talk to you."

"Why?" Rena was caught off guard her surprise was obvious.

The Dratini continued, "Tini tini dratini ra. Ti tinidra ni ni dratini dra! Dratini dratini ini tini…"

Lee took a long pause. Finally Rena had to ask, "_Well_?"

Taking a deep breath he translated, "She says that you not only saved her life, but that of her colony _and_ their unhatched young. She also tells me that even if she saved _your_ life that only counts for one. The only was she can fully repay you is to come with you on your journey."

Rena looked at the Dratini; she smiled happily back to her soon-to-be trainer. "But the laws say-"

"They say no _poaching_ or _catching_ if the Pokémon wants to come with you willingly though it's fine." Lee interrupted.

"Alright then," Rena reached down to pick up her new partner.

Stroking the Dratini's tail Lee asked her, "What are you going to name the beauty?"

Smiling Rena replied, "Angel of course. She saved my life, she really is an angel."

"Angel it is then!" Lee got up and came back with a stick. He turned the Dratini towards him and tapped her lightly on both 'shoulders'. "I dub thee, Angel…"

****

To Be Continued in Chapter 3 of 'Tamer of Darkness'!

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Why isn't Route 30 & 31 a perfect picnic for our hero's? Also, will Rena survive her first real Trainer Battle? And finally: Who gets on Lee's nerves the most? Rena or Vela?


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